Secondary battery.



G. J. JOHNSON.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. J. JOHNSON.

SECONDABY BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.28, 1910. 969,876, Y Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\X/IT E5555 INVE J L Hwya- G. J. JOHNSON.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1910.

969,876, Patented Sept. 13,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

UUIIIEIEIEIDU DUUEHIIUUEI UUUUUEIEIUUU EEEIBEEHEEIEE EHIIEJUUEIEHIIE] UUUUUEIUEIE] QQQQQQQELQ- -7 UUUUEIUDEIEI a UUUEIUUUE] ,3 as 1]][1UUUUU Frgjs WITNESEIES GUSTAVUS J. JOHNSON, 0F GI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28. 1910.

Fatented sept, 13, 1931 39..

Serial No. 551,987.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUs'rAvUs J. JoI-msoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Secondary Batteries, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin The invention has reference to the type of secondary battery constructed on the well known Hatch principle consisting of endsupporting plates between which are series of electrodes and interposed porous plates, said porous plates being serrated or formed to provide pockets or receptacles on one side for active material or material adapted to become active and hold this material in contact with metallic electrodes, the other or reverse side of said porous plates being channeled to provide recesses for vertical circulation of electrolyte for free accessto all parts of said porous plates. The practical defects in such batteries are due to the fact that the permeability oi the porous plates will cause their edges to absorb' and hold. adhering herein a portion of the metallic oxid paste that constitutes the base mixture of the active material, and the portions of the oxid paste so held or absorbed by the edges will when the voltaic couples o't a battery are assembled and placed in commission form a conducting body for the current musing a passover or short circuit from one element to the other with consequent ineliicieircy and gradual destruction of the hattery from internal discharge. This fact was recognized by l-latchin his Patent. artisans; dated June 2 ti l where the practice of staggering the horizontal joints in a sectional porous plate Was claimed as ail vantagcous, but obviously this is not a remedy possible to apply to the initside edges of the plates.

Later practitioners have eniltaivc-red to stop the creeping; tmulencics of rant ele tric currents over the pathway of the electrically formed active material that may be adhering to or permeatiu the edges oi the porous plates by closing lire sides and hot-- toms oi the elements, musing the liallrry to show high internal resistance by reason of throlilcd circulation.

"the; objects oi my invention are to wovlde mechanically the means by which the Alla-.-

I'tro-cheniistry of such a secondary battery can be corrected, by so constructing niy porous plates that all parts of said plates except the edges will be permeable and allow access of the electrolyte to the material that is active or intended to be active, while the edges of said porous plates originally made homogeneous with other portions of the plates themselves are made impervious to the electrolyte, non-coudacting: to the electric current and insulating to metallic structures when such are brought in contactthert nvith. I also reduce to a minimuinthe internal resistance of the battery by promoting circulation of electrolyte and tree pasplace in plates not so treated. lily n'r hod in tl'iose respects is a complete 'reve :lmi of the practice of a. l Clare under his Patent No. (SSG ROH under .which all circulation at the edges of couples 1S intended to be eti'cctually shut oitl and it is also a distinct reversal the prz'ictirc of C. H. (hire un- (ltl' his tent to, 717,351 uralcr iv ioqe pract latingz; plates are applied to the edges and than oi the couples in order to and downward ciri'ailation.

slop sidei lelli practiccr-i just re" red to c 1. high internal "cs1 lance of the battery (airing marge and discharge. as direct cireuatory action can take plaec at the tops oi the plains but llUl. a1 sides or the lm'ttoni.

The results of my iuvcntii'in. are a tree i'ii'citlu'iiou on all sides, oi"? the assembled elements and a reduction to a n'iin niuni ot the it t mination of local action or short circuits between the platesv lily manner of shaping; and treating the ode-cs oi the plates and mailing; the satire non-rend more oi cicotr sage of current. at the sides and bottom as iernal rrsislance oi the liatlery and the we current also prevents Slltillill(liii$ limo-ugh the metal bands used for holding-the elements together, should such metal bands be crowded accidentally against the sides of the couples, and therefore removes one of the principal causes'of self destruction to which all such batteries are otherwise liable.

My invention provides a decided improvement upon existing battery practice, and admits of great economy and high efficiency; also by dispensing with the use of insulating plates and with other exacting and expensive details of manufacture the usual cost of producing a battery of this type is greatly reduced.

A practical application of the principles of my invention may be understood from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure'l' is a perspective view of the features of my invention embodied in a battery, withparts broken away to show the different faces of two of the porous plates; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional View of the same; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of one of the porous plates on line-4-4 of Fig. 5 crossing the cavities holding the active material; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the face of one of the porous plates; F ig. 6 is a plan view of the reverse side or back of one of the porous plates, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 5 along one of the ridges on the face of the porous plate. I

In the drawingsthe cell is composed of two voltaic couples, the porous permeable plates lettered A to A inclusive being arranged as shown with metallic electrodes or conductor strips 13'; the plates A, A A and A are of like polarity as positive, and the plates A, A A and A are of like polarity, as negative. The pair of plates A and A the pair A and A, and thepair A and A, respectively, constitute compound plates. The porous plates and electrodes are assembled with glass end-supporting plates C, all parts being bound together in place b any suitable binders 0, preferably in the orm of metallic bands.

The porous plates have active material D or material intended to be active upon their inner faces or surfaces, being provided with suitable pockets or receptacles for that purpose, as by crossed ridges a forming a cellular surface thereon, and the lead electrodes are in close contact with the face of the active material; the outer faces or surfaces of the porous plates are provided with ribs a that the latter protect the edges of the former but provide circulation from them; it is of course understood that the number of voltaic couples or plates. may be varied, as also will be the associated electrodes.

In the types of batteries as heretofore constructed the entire porous plates are pervious to the electrolyte for attack upon the active material, and so portions of the active material heretofore held or absorbed by their-edges, when the voltaic couples are assembled and placed in commission; form a conducting body for the current thus causing short circuits between the plates of unlike polarity; and to obviate .this defect I make the side edgeof each plate impervious to the electrolyte and to the oxid paste and active material and non-conducting to the electric current by applying to and through these edges any suitable acid-resisting and non-conducting substance or material, such,

for example, as di-atomaceousearths insoluble in inorganic oxy-acids, but attacked by other solvents; solutions of silicates insoluble in sulfuric acid, such as those of magnesium; solutlons of lndia I rubber 1n naphtha, benzine,-benzol, nitro-benzol or carbon dl sulfid;

also, a solution of cellulose in acetone may be used, but the product is too inflammable for practical use in a secondary battery this being shown in the drawings at (L This treatment insulates the plates from the metallic structure or bands 0 when for any reason these parts may be accidentally crowded together, thus also preventing short circuiting through the bands. The side edges of the plates are also chamfered or beveled from the reverse side forward in order to form an increased gap between adjacent the active material adhering to or permeating the plates. v

To provide for the free passage of the current at the sides and-bottom as Well as at the top of the assembled elements I expose all the edges of the metal electrodes-orconducting sheets directly to the electrolyte,

thus promoting conductance and decreasing internal resistance to a minimum, and by applying an acid-resisting, electrically nonconducting substance or material to the edges of the plates I obviate short-circuiting or local action, and so insure the assembled voltaic couples within the battery against deterioration and destruction, the beveling.

of the edges of the plates assisting inthis result. I

Having described my inventi0n, I claim: 1. A plate for supporting active material in contact with the conductor of the electrodes of an electric battery; said late hav-- ing a surface permeable to the e ectrolyte electrically non-conducting.

active material, and having its'edges impervious to the electrolyte and electrically non-conducting.

2. A plate for supporting active material in contact with the conductor of the electrodes of an electric battery, said plate having a surface permeable to the electrolyte and for thereoeption and retention of said active material, and having its edges beveled and impervious to the electrolyte and composed of apair of compound elements,-

each of the elements composed of one or more pairs of porous plates havin acidresisting and electrically non-conducting edges, electrodes having their edges exposed to the free action of the electrolyte, the plates provided with the active material of the battery and having channels for the electrolyte. i

5. A voltaic couple for a storage battery composed of a pair of compound elements,

each of the elements composed of one or more pairs. of porous plates, the adjacent plates of the elements having acid-resisting and electrically non-conducting edges, electrodes having their edges exposed to the free action of the electro yte, the plates, pro-v vided onone face with the active material of the battery and having channels on the 0pposite'face for the electrolyte.

6. A storage battery consisting of ,compound elements composed of porous platestai'c couple for a storage battery to the inner faces of which the active material of the battery is applied and intermediate conducting plates in contact with said active material, ribs on the outer faces of the porous plates to form channels for the electrolyte, end supporting plates and bands to hold the several parts assembled, the edges of the porous plates being impregnated-with an acid resisting and electrically non-conducting material. I

7. A storage battery consisting ofcompound. elements composed of porous plates to the inner faces of which the active material of the battery is applied and intermediate conducting plates in contact with said active material, ribs 0n the outer faces of the porous plates to form channels for the electrolyte, end supporting plates and bands to hold the several parts assembled, the edges of the porous plates being beveled and impregnated with an acid-resisting and electrically non-conducting material.

8. A storage battery consisting of compound elements composed of porousplates to the inner faces of which the active material of the battery is applied and intermediate conducting plates in. contact with said active material and less in width than the porous plates, the porous plates having ribs on their outer faces to form channels for the electrolyte, end supporting plates and metallic bands to hold the several parts assembled, the edges of the porous plates being beveled and impregnated with an acid-resisting and electrically nonconducting material. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAVUS J. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

- GEORGE R. HARBAUGH,

J. McRoBER'rs. 

